Changing Planet

Understanding Dogs to Protect Cats

A pack of feral dogs has cornered a young brown bear in Zadoi County, China

Feral dogs have been seen chasing snow leopards and bears away from their prey. Growing populations of free-ranging dogs are becoming a real threat to wildlife in many parts of the snow leopard’s range. Liu Mingyu, a researcher in China, is tracking dogs with GPS collars to better understand their behavior – and eventually address the threat they pose.

The images are enough to make you stop in your tracks. A pack of feral dogs has cornered a frightened young brown bear. Another group of canines has chased away a snow leopard, the big cat’s long tail visible for a second before it disappears.

A snow leopard is chased from a kill by feral dogs

These photos illustrate what is rapidly becoming a real threat to snow leopards and their ecosystem – but also to the people living in these areas. In many parts of the snow leopard’s range, free-ranging dogs are hunting domestic livestock as well as wild prey species, or chasing native predators away from kills. As their numbers are growing, these problems have become more common. In India’s Spiti Valley, for instance, dogs may now be causing more damage to the local economy through livestock predation than snow leopards and wolves combined.

In order to address this emerging threat, we first need to understand these dogs, their populations, behavior, diet, and interactions with wildlife.

To gain these insights, Liu Mingyu, a young PhD student at Peking University is tracking several free-ranging dogs in China’s Three Rivers area, a key snow leopard habitat zone on the Tibetan Plateau, with GPS collars.

Liu Mingyu is enjoying the breathtaking beauty of the Three Rivers area during a break

Mingyu’s work is made possible through the support of Partnership Funding by Fondation Segre, managed by Whitley Fund for Nature – a partnership program that is allowing promising young snow leopard researchers in multiple countries to get trained as future conservation leaders and contribute to our understanding of this endangered cat and its habitat, and the threats it is facing.

“I want to understand how free-ranging dogs interact with and influence native carnivores like the snow leopard”, Mingyu says. In the Three Rivers area, feral dogs are often found near Buddhist temples, where they usually find plenty of food. But clearly, as his photos prove, some dogs venture out further from the temples at least occasionally and interact with the area’s wildlife.

To follow their movements, Mingyu decided to put GPS tracking collars on six dogs living near three temples. A few months after starting the experiment, he has analyzed preliminary data from two collared dogs.

Movement patterns for two dogs, named ‘Collar’ and ‘Moo Moo’

While they have very different home ranges in terms of size (6.1 km2 and 1.4 km2 over the span of a month, respectively), both dogs appear to stay away from the area’s prime snow leopard habitat for the most part. “The dogs’ core home range doesn’t seem to overlap with snow leopards very much”, Mingyu says. “But the GPS data support what we’ve seen on photos: every now and then – presumably when they don’t find enough food – the dogs travel further for hunting and scavenging, and step into the home ranges of snow leopards.”

On those trips, the threat the dogs pose to snow leopards becomes most evident. But even when they’re not venturing into snow leopard habitat and clashing with the cats themselves, the free-ranging dogs are affecting the ecosystem, and wildlife in particular.

Browny, one of the dogs Mingyu is studying

“Trash is one of their main food sources, but these dogs also hunt. Once, I saw one of them catch a pika myself”, Mingyu says.

To address the threat that dogs pose to local wildlife, their populations need to be kept in check. “We need to start by managing trash better. That will cut off their main food source”, Mingyu explains. “But we might also need to explore sterilization campaigns.”

In Spiti Valley, similar efforts to curb feral dog populations have shown promising first results. Liu Mingyu’s research should provide further insights that can help refine such ongoing initiatives, and inform a solution to the problem in the Three Rivers area.

Mingyu is interacting with ‘Collar’, one of the dogs he’s been tracking

These efforts are part of a three-way MoU for snow leopard conservation in China between Shan Shui Conservation Center, the Snow Leopard Trust and Panthera. Liu Mingyu is a recipient of support from the Snow Leopard Trust, thanks to Partnership Funding by Fondation Segré, managed by Whitley Fund for Nature.

Meet the Author

While his own research focuses on learning about and protecting the fossa, Madagascar's elusive top predator, Luke Dollar has also devoted himself to promoting smart and effective conservation throughout the world. As a part of this larger dedication, he also heads up National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative. Learn More About Luke Dollar and His Work

Post Navigation

Related Posts

Joel Berger

This is a great project and the results wil be very important. Having witnessed feral dogs attack takin (Bhutan), saiga (Mongolia), and chiru (western China) it is both heart-warming to see the research and sad, to know that the problem is widespread. I wish Liu Mingyu all the best.

Anne Balderston

The groups that are studying and trying to protect the snow leopards also need to find a humane, compassionate solution for these homeless dogs. There are large humane traps for dogs, if needed. The best way is to simply start feeding the dogs and even hand-feeding them. It just takes spending time with the dogs and showing them kindness to get them tamed down. The local people need to be educated about spaying and neutering. You definitely need to get them all fixed. Thank you for helping the snow leopards, bears, AND dogs.

Debby Ng

Fantastic work by Mingyu! My team and I are working with communities in Nepal Himalaya to learn about diseases shared between dogs and wildlife and we look forward to your findings, Mingyu! Over here (Nepal) dogs kill and harass livestock, golden jackal, musk deer, and red panda.

About the Blog

Researchers, conservationists, and others share stories, insights and ideas about Our Changing Planet, Wildlife & Wild Spaces, and The Human Journey. More than 50,000 comments have been added to 10,000 posts. Explore the list alongside to dive deeper into some of the most popular categories of the National Geographic Society’s conversation platform Voices.

Opinions are those of the blogger and/or the blogger’s organization, and not necessarily those of the National Geographic Society. Posters of blogs and comments are required to observe National Geographic’s community rules and other terms of service.

Social Media

About the Blog

Researchers, conservationists, and others share stories, insights and ideas about Our Changing Planet, Wildlife & Wild Spaces, and The Human Journey. More than 50,000 comments have been added to 10,000 posts. Explore the list alongside to dive deeper into some of the most popular categories of the National Geographic Society’s conversation platform Voices.

Opinions are those of the blogger and/or the blogger’s organization, and not necessarily those of the National Geographic Society. Posters of blogs and comments are required to observe National Geographic’s community rules and other terms of service.